1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



373 



when the mercury has risen to 80°. Many crops 

 are suffering from the ravages of insects, and the 

 trees promise neither food for man or birds. 

 Cherries none, peaches none, apples few and far 

 between. How it is with wheat and other grains 

 I have not observed. The curse of war is ac- 

 companied by the blasts of desolation. 

 July 1, 1861. Essex. 



A GOOD DRAG KAKE. 



Seeing an article in your paper of July 28, 

 1860, headed "Raking Made Easy" I had the cu- 

 riosity to read it. It was concerning a Drag Rake 

 manufactured by S. Heywood, Claremont, N. H. 

 I procured one and find it as you recommend, 

 worth five times the value of mowing machines, 

 according to the amount invested in them. 



Marlboro' Depot, N. H., June. s. n. W. 



A FINE PAIR OF STEERS. 



' Squire Benson, Jr., of this town has a pair of 

 yearling steers, which weigh 2300 pounds, and 

 girt 6 ft. 3 in. They are of a dark red color with 

 white spots mixed in. If any of your readers 

 have a pair of steers better than these I should 

 like to see them. A Subscriber. 



Heath, June 25, 1861. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 A -WORD TO FARMEES. 



Alas ! that it should be found necessary by the 

 Great Disposer of events, to send so dire a ca- 

 lamity upon us, as the storm of the 16th of the 

 present month, in order to remind man of his 

 Creator. 



Each season we have sown in confidence, fully 

 expecting to reap the fruits of our toil ; many of 

 us no doubt unmindful of Him who sendeth the 

 rain and sunshine. In a few, short minutes how 

 forcibly He hath shown us our weakness, and our 

 dependence on another and a mightier arm than 

 ours. Wind, rain and hail sent by His hand, 

 have done their work of destruction, wherever 

 they have swept along ; as prostrated trees and 

 ruined crops bear evidence. 



Terrible ! terrible was the scene, as frightened 

 hearts and bloodless lips can testify ; and may 

 Heaven avert another such. And yet it is well ; 

 both just and proper. This world is not our 

 home. "Here we have no continuing city," and 

 'tis meet that we should be reminded of another 

 and a better. Yes, too much reliance is placed 

 upon our own strength. Too much thought and 

 time expended in laying up worldly treasure, un- 

 mindful, O, how unmindful, of that other "trea- 

 sure in the Heavens." Our lands are cultivated, 

 our homes adorned with pride, as if we fully ex- 

 pected to stay here forever. In fact, we live as 

 if nothing was perishable, nothing fleeting ! And 

 must these things continue ? 



No, no ; let us accept a lesson from the past, 

 and strive for other and better things. Let us 

 in future till the soil with prayerful hearts, ex- 

 pecting nothing of our own strength, but looking 

 to our Father for the "seedtime and harvest." 

 Then we may secure His blessing ; then we may 

 grow in grace, prosperous and happy. 



Bhode Island, June 26, 1861. E. W. 



A POOR MATST'S PLEASANT HOME IH 

 THE COUNTRY. 



We copy the following article from the Ameri- 

 can Agriculturist, published at New York, by 

 Orange Judd, Esq. It is conducted with abili- 

 ity, and probably receives as much labor in all 

 its departments as any agricultural paper in the 

 country. We find that, by preserving our copy 

 of it, we have not extracted as we should be glad 

 to from its pages. Hereafter we shall use the 

 scissors upon it. 



We hope any reader of the Farmer, who owns 

 an acre of land, will read the article below atten- 

 tively, as it may convince some that they already 

 possess the means of making a place of their 

 own, that will far outstrip that of Squire Cash, if 

 they will but steadily apply a little labor and a 

 little money, each year. Such is the true way to 

 build up a place, because there is as much enjoy- 

 ment in producing it, as can possibly be drawn 

 from it when it is completed. 



The first thing is to devise liheplan, then how 

 easy it is to plant a single tree, set two or three 

 varieties of roses, a paeony, a bed of pinks, or 

 complete a single walk or path in the course of 

 spring or summer. All persons have taste for 

 the beautiful, in some degree, — and no one is so 

 dull as not to admire, — even if too much preju- 

 diced to acknowledge it, — tasteful and attractive 

 surroundings to a dwelling. All our farmers — 

 the very poorest — can do something to break the 

 fierce winds of winter and the scorching suns of 

 summer from their house, and give it an air of 

 neatness and comfort. Yet how many never set 

 a tree, plant a rose, or climber, or shrub, but 

 live on in barren sterility, through tvro or three 

 generations ! Thank you, Mr. Judd ; your friend 

 does honor to the name he bears. 



It is a prevalent notion that a pleasant coun- 

 try residence must necessarily cost a great deal of 

 money. As we have walked with visitors througb 

 the tastefully planted grounds of a certain neigh- 

 bor, it has often amused and vexed us to hear 

 the remark made, with a long drawn and half en- 

 vious sigh, "Well, rich people can have such fine 

 places, but we common folks must go without 

 them." While the truth has been, that in most 

 cases these grumblers were richer than the envied 

 proprietor ; they were richer, but lazier. This 

 fine place cost the owner skillful industry, con- 

 tinued for many years, but not much outlay of 

 money. 



It has been our pleasure to visit lately anoth- 

 er residence, in a neighboring county, which is 

 the admiration of all who see it, yet which cost 

 but little money, and is the property of an intel- 

 ligent, hard-working mechanic. The pleasure it 

 gave, and the good example it may afi'ord to oth- 

 ers, induce us to give a brief account of our visit : 



On alighting at the gate of this gentleman's 

 grounds, we were not struck by the grandeur of 

 the house, or the pretension of the gate-way ; by 

 statues, vases, or ornamental structures of any 



